Letter to Members on Banning Process

Moderators

Dear Breastcancer.org Community Members,

We feel compelled to explain what will earn a ban from the BCO community, as there appears to be a misunderstanding that it is connected to "disagreeing with the mods." This assumption is incorrect. The Moderators have the ability to ban at their discretion when a member becomes unruly, disrespectful, or disruptive. You may refer to our Community Rules, particularly rules number 2, 3, 6, and 8, to better understand what each member agrees to upon registration.

Calling out so-called "Sock Puppets" by name will, for example, earn a ban -- we can not prove those IDs are indeed a re-registration, and therefore have no right to call members out on a mere suspicion. When there is a clear disregard for the rules, even after being warned by a Moderator of the rule that was being broken, this will also earn a ban. When there is clear, repeated disrespect of the Moderators, or fellow members, this too will result in a ban. Without clear rules, and mutual respect for one another, we as a group, as a"community," cannot provide a caring, supportive environment.

We encourage you to private message the Moderators if you suspect "sock puppetry" or are concerned about a situation brewing on the boards. Please understand that as diligent as we try to be, we can't always prove that individuals are duplicates. We ask you trust that we are doing our best to protect and support our amazing, unique community and enforce our rules to the best of our ability.

If you're bothered by, or disagree with, a post or a poster, we suggest that you either do not read their posts or threads, or implement the Block function. As in the non-virtual world, you will not always like everyone, or everything that is discussed.... We could only be so lucky to have a real-world Block function!

Lastly, we encourage you to focus on what's important -- your friends here, supporting others, sharing helpful information, and taking care of your health and well-being during and after your breast cancer diagnosis. We can only have a successful, supportive and encouraging community through working together, and remaining kind, helpful and respectful.

Thank you all for your cooperation and understanding,

The Moderators